Valley Tennis Seeks Return to States

Dulles District Boys' Race Opens Up

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Last June, Kiersten Pappas walked off the court after a grueling 2 hour 45-minute Virginia AAA state championship match. Loudoun Valley's top player left it all on the court in a three-set loss to Mills Godwin's Katie Blow. It was the lone blemish on Pappas's otherwise perfect season, which included Cedar Run District and Northwest Region singles titles, along with her team's run to the state semifinals.

This season, the Vikings' senior star and her teammates are hungry for more.

"We're hoping to make it back to states like we did last year," Loudoun Valley Coach Brooke Brown said. "Two years ago, we lost in regionals, so we've gotten better each year. Hopefully, we can do that again this year."

With Pappas, junior No. 2 Juliana Jacangelo and junior No. 3 Kayla Sweet returning from last year's team, the key for the Vikings will be the development of newcomers at Nos. 3-6. Thus far, juniors Megan Music (4) and Morgan Mullen (5) and freshman Martha Dawson have held their own, helping power Valley to a 4-1 (4-0 AAA Cedar Run) start to the season with the only loss coming in a 5-4 nondistrict defeat to Washington (W.Va.).

In their first match of the season, they dispatched their toughest district foe from a year ago, knocking off regional finalist Osbourn Park by a 6-2 margin.

This year, Brown kept 10 players instead of 12, to give her team more practice time on its three courts and more opportunities for her players to play matches against one another. They've also found time to challenge the Valley boys' team and have been more than just competitive.

"The girls really push each other," Brown said. "But we also like to scrimmage the boys because that gives us some more tough matches. Our top three are pretty solid against them."

Whether they're matched up against the rest of the district or battling their fellow Vikings, one thing is certain: Pappas and her team won't be satisfied with anything short of a run at the state championship.

"That was a long, tough match that she really wishes that she could've won, so I know that's definitely a goal for her to get back there and have a different outcome this time," Brown said. "She and Juliana are hoping to make states this year, as well, and that's definitely our team goal, too."

Boys' Dulles District Field Opens Up

Briar Woods has been the dominant boys' team in the Virginia AA Dulles District the past two years, winning back-to-back league titles and reaching the Region II tournament final. But with the Falcons losing their top two tandem of district singles champion Stephen Law and doubles champion teammate Patrick Melbourne, the race has opened up.

Broad Run and Loudoun County have toppled the defending champions, and they sit tied atop the district with perfect records. The Raiders finished second in the district behind Briar Woods last season and reached the regional semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Western Albermarle.

Loudoun County (4-0, 3-0 AA Dulles) returns several key members of last year's team, including senior Peter Satagaj at No. 1 and juniors Chris Czupak (2) and Andrew Sinden (3) at the top of their ranks. Their postseason experience from the past few years should serve them well in a competitive district race.

The Spartans (3-0, 3-0) haven't sniffed the postseason since their 1996 state title run but return two seniors and a host of talented underclassmen eager to end their playoff drought. After an 11-5 campaign last season, sophomore Kevin Chang has taken over the top spot, where he's followed by junior Naveen Vaddadi (2) and senior Eric Pasztor (3).

"If we're healthy, I think we have a really good chance to win this district," Broad Run Coach Chris Pasternak said. "Briar Woods, County and Dominion, those are the teams that beat us last year, so we can't afford to take anyone for granted. But this team is very talented, and I expect them to win those tough matches we weren't able to last year and challenge for a district title."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks